I guess it's something that everybody has considered at one time or another. Targeting the head of a government or other organization to neutralize a
threat rather than slaughtering a good chunk of the local population. Kill Hitler, right?

But something about this doesn't seem quite cricket. It's a dangerous world, though. Always has been. Political leaders have always been targets,
either the enemy's or for the downtrodden folks back home. But if this is the way we're going to fight wars in the future, I suppose it might be a
good idea to not be anybody's Hitler. Or... you should strive to be everybody's worst Hitler and get them first. I guess you're a target either
way.

I'm pretty sure Americans even acting as hired mercs can be tried under the Geneva convention. Well, the U.S. government would be obliged to give them
up. Assassinations are outlawed. For those that get away with it I'd bet they make some serious cash.

Looking at the historical track record, it's more dangerous to be a good guy looking to reclaim your country's assets from from the global corporate
cabals.

Just a quick glance at history makes it pretty clear that the one thing you don't want to be is somebody with political clout advocating non-violence
and peaceful conflict resolution. You might as well wear a target.

Yes Mercs have been one of the oldest tactics in the book.
Every nation throughout history all the way back till city states and villages and before, hiring someone to kill someone else - especially for
political/economic reasons - has had this happening in one form or another.

What we should really be surprised by is that such practices aren't more prevalent in today's world. It's actually astonishing how rare it has become.

originally posted by: muzzleflash
What we should really be surprised by is that such practices aren't more prevalent in today's world. It's actually astonishing how rare it has
become.

I guess that's what I'm wondering. It is becoming more prevalent? As much as Soldier of Fortune might have had some appeal to ex-military types or
wanna-bes (along with just general low-lifes who like killing deadbeat wives and husbands for small amounts of money), it wasn't like it was
advocating or assisting a positive program of coordinated assassination. If that were the case, there would be world leaders' heads exploding on the
news every day.

It's a relatively cheap way to steer the course of political history without bothering to consult with the ordinary folks, you know, citizens and the
like. If it turns out to be a recognized and acceptable way of doing your political business, I can't imagine very many positive consequences down
the road.

Looking at the historical track record, it's more dangerous to be a good guy looking to reclaim your country's assets from from the global corporate
cabals.

Just a quick glance at history makes it pretty clear that the one thing you don't want to be is somebody with political clout advocating non-violence
and peaceful conflict resolution. You might as well wear a target.

Yes Mercs have been one of the oldest tactics in the book.
Every nation throughout history all the way back till city states and villages and before, hiring someone to kill someone else - especially for
political/economic reasons - has had this happening in one form or another.

What we should really be surprised by is that such practices aren't more prevalent in today's world. It's actually astonishing how rare it has
become.

This, exactly.

As the premier power in the world, this sort of thing is to be expected, turn a blind eye to, let someone else get their hands dirty.

Looking at the historical track record, it's more dangerous to be a good guy looking to reclaim your country's assets from from the global corporate
cabals.

Just a quick glance at history makes it pretty clear that the one thing you don't want to be is somebody with political clout advocating non-violence
and peaceful conflict resolution. You might as well wear a target.

Who would those people be?

I don't know all that much about mercenaries. They are basically private security companies that recruit from ex military and police. It helps to
have skills. Blackwater, famous for their role in Iraq, has gone through some name changes. Flip through their Wikipedia page here:
Academi. Very revealing.

Its also not the case that its just western mercs being hired by other countries. America and the UK have both employed mercs and proxies to do their
dirty work in the past, and there is no reason to believe that they have stopped, especially since they continue to sponsor terrorism, with their
partner in crime, the Saudi Arabians.

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